16-Year-Old Schedules Wrist Surgery From Too Much Texting

How do you know when your texting obsession has gone too far? When you have to have surgery on both of your wrists for a severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome, that's how! Take it from Annie Levitz, a 16-year-old student from Chicago who sends an average of 100 texts a day — the obsession just isn't worth it. Annie began feeling pain in her wrists after sending a boatload of texts daily (hopefully she has an unlimited texting plan!), which then developed into numbness and loss of feeling in her hands. After visiting a doctor, who diagnosed her with carpal tunnel syndrome, she started receiving shots to numb the pain, has been fitted with braces on both wrists, and will undergo surgery to correct the damage to her nerves.

I'll be the first to suggest that it's time parents and teachers alike start educating children on the health risks of too much technology — from texting to chatting with strangers online — and they should be taught to know when to put down the phone for health's sake. I'll make the first move — want to know how you can prevent an extreme case of carpal tunnel syndrome like Annie's? Just read more.

Besides limiting your texting time (let's get real — 100 a day? At that point, maybe you should consider calling or sending an email), I have a handy exercise regime you can perform at your desk, on the bus, or before you hit the sack to keep your wrists healthy. Additionally, consider making your work stations and desks ergonomic — wrist guards for your mousing hand and keyboards, and making sure you're sitting at the right angle with a good chair. Finally, consider investing in a voice-to-text app like ShoutOut to give your hard-working wrists a break.

Yeah 100 sounds like a lot, but I just looked at my phone bill and I send between 30-70 texts a day on average so if I included BBMs and emails it would be way more than 100 some days. I don't find typing with my thumbs particularly strenuous though... maybe it's not the frequency of the texts, but the ferocity with which she texts :)